The Good and Not So Good from 49ers Roster Moves
The roster cutdown brings clarity in team preferences, the 49ers chose system experience and money commitments over upside.
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00:00 The Niners just named their 53-man roster.
00:02 We didn't talk about it much.
00:04 It's there.
00:05 It exists.
00:06 But let's evaluate it.
00:07 Best position group on the team, your position, in your opinion.
00:10 Receivers.
00:11 Okay.
00:12 They do have some good receivers.
00:15 Talk about it.
00:16 Make the case.
00:17 Okay.
00:18 Do we include tight ends in receivers?
00:22 I wouldn't, but if you want to, I won't.
00:24 You're my dad.
00:25 I can't tell you what to do.
00:26 Yes, you can.
00:28 Let's start.
00:30 Deebo Samuel and Iyuk.
00:34 As a combination, Iggy.
00:36 Now, again, you know the league better than I do, but it would be hard for me to imagine
00:42 two starters on other teams that are any better than those two.
00:46 I have to say they're as good as any starting tandem, and they complement each other really
00:50 well.
00:51 Like, Deebo Samuel, he isn't the greatest route runner or the greatest at catching the
00:55 ball, but he is the greatest at running with the ball after the catch.
00:58 And Iyuk runs just gorgeous routes and has these really long arms and makes these really
01:04 acrobatic catches.
01:06 And he can run after the catch, too.
01:08 They're a good complementary duo.
01:11 And then they have depth at the position.
01:13 I liked Jawan Jennings a lot.
01:15 Yeah.
01:16 What do you like about Jennings?
01:17 Oh, you?
01:18 Yeah.
01:19 Oh.
01:20 He's a tough guy.
01:21 Tough guy.
01:22 Great hands.
01:23 Tough guy.
01:24 And he'll go over the middle and fight as opposed to Randy Moss.
01:28 Yep.
01:29 You know, he'll go over the middle, take the hit, stay on his feet and get yards.
01:33 It's impressive.
01:34 Yeah.
01:35 Yep.
01:36 And then they got this rookie, Ronnie Bell, who I don't know, he hasn't done it yet, but
01:39 in the preseason, he was like their best player, at least of the backups.
01:42 And you could do all kinds of stuff with him.
01:44 He looked like Dante Pettis, like the Dante Pettis they wanted to get.
01:48 The guy who could do a little bit of everything, but was really tough and gritty.
01:51 Played for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.
01:54 Ronnie Bell.
01:55 I like him.
01:56 I would say also a tough guy.
01:58 Now, he did drop a few passes.
02:00 He did.
02:01 But so will Jennings in D, but I mean, it almost seems like something that happens on
02:05 the Niners.
02:06 They got to work on that.
02:07 The whole team.
02:08 Jerry Rice did at the beginning.
02:09 He dropped passes.
02:10 It happens.
02:11 So I point it out, but it's no big deal.
02:13 And if you throw in the tight ends, Kittle is a great tight end in the current bunch.
02:18 And you know what?
02:19 I love Ross Dwelle.
02:22 I love him, too.
02:23 He's been on the team for such a long time and they don't really use him very much, but
02:27 they clearly value him.
02:28 They won't let him go anywhere else.
02:29 He's like a lifer.
02:31 And Iggy, he can catch.
02:34 He is so sure handed.
02:36 Iggy, do you know him?
02:39 I don't know him.
02:40 That's the thing.
02:41 Like, I've always left him alone because I've it's so clear that I'm like his biggest advocate.
02:45 And I don't want people on his team, like teammates, thinking that he's getting preferable
02:49 media coverage because I like him.
02:50 But his family did invite me out for a drink at the Super Bowl.
02:54 Like, I've been writing about Ross Dwelle since 2019.
02:57 And it was going on for so long that when we finally got to Miami, I got a DM from,
03:01 it might have been his girlfriend's mom at the time.
03:05 She was like, look, we really would like to meet you.
03:07 We can't believe that there's someone so enthusiastic about our Ross.
03:11 So I got to meet his best friend, his girlfriend, his parents, her parents.
03:17 And what was interesting was George Kittle's girlfriend and sister and mom came by.
03:23 Kittle wasn't there, but they all were like hanging out.
03:26 It was cool.
03:27 I like it.
03:28 Iggy, my mild advice would be if he's in the locker room one day, you know, during the
03:33 week.
03:34 Hey, Ross, great for you to hang in there.
03:38 It's nice to see you.
03:39 You probably give me a look like, who the hell are you?
03:43 So what?
03:44 You don't die from it.
03:46 No.
03:47 Let me give my best position group on the team.
03:49 I'm going to say it's Fred.
03:50 It's the, I'm going to say it's the linebackers.
03:53 I think the linebackers, the deepest best position group on the team.
03:56 Fred Warner's the best.
03:57 Dre Greenlaw's almost as good.
03:59 They got two rookies.
04:00 One of them looks really good in Jalen Graham.
04:02 Demetrius Flanagan falls.
04:03 Been on the team like four or five years.
04:05 Orrin Burks is a good player and they just wave this Marcelino McCreary ball who could
04:09 get picked up by another team.
04:11 I feel like the Niners have the best linebacker coach in the league and they're at the forefront
04:15 of what linebackers should be.
04:16 Linebackers used to be like 240 pound run defenders.
04:20 Now in the Niners, they're like 215, 220 pound guys who are coverage specialists and the
04:28 rest of the league is adopting it.
04:30 So those linebackers are really good.
04:32 I think it's the best part of the defense for sure.
04:33 Better than the D line.
04:34 I would agree.
04:35 And look, I wouldn't fight to the death about who's better, wide receivers or linebackers.
04:40 They're both elite units.
04:41 Would you agree?
04:42 Yeah, I just wanted to give props to a unit on the defense.
04:47 Absolutely.
04:48 Thank you.
04:51 (upbeat music)